Digitalis extract.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLF TAMBACH, OF LUDWIGSHAFIEN-ON- FIRM OF KNOLL AND COMPANY, OFLUD DIG-ITALIS EXTRACT.

No Drawing. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLF TAMBAGH, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Ludwigshafen-on-the-Rhine, Germany, have invented a Processof Making an Improved Digitalis Extract, of which the following is a specification.

It is known that various powerfully acting constituents may be isolated from digitalis leaves, which are very valuable in therapeutics. The products thus obtained have not, however, been able to supplant the continued use of the leaves themselves, partly onv account of their highprice, and partly because, when each is used separately, they do not exhibit the complete action of the fresh drug, or the freshly prepared extracts. The use of the leaves themselves possesses, however, the disadvantage, that the which keeps well and amount of active constituents which they containis subject to very considerable fluctuations, according to the years growth, place of origin, and time of gathering the plants, and that these active constituents undergoa constant, appreciable diminution with time, both in the drug, and in the extracts. This variable action of the leaves and the gradual decrease of their eflective-' ness are disadvantages, which are of very great importance in the therapeutics of digitalis, since too feebly acting doses often render the therapeutic effect doubtful, and too powerful doses produce unpleasant subsidiary eflects. Furthermore, the digitalis leaves and their extracts are frequently badly sustained by the stomach. This arises partly from an. irritant action of the therapeutically important constituents, and partly from superfluous materials in the drug which also. pass over therewith into the extract.'

. In order that a digitalis extract may be well sustained by the stomach, these superfluous materials should be removed there from. Furthermore,

and always remains the same.

I have found, that a digitalis preparation has the full action of the fresh drug may be holic extract of the digitalis leaves be exhaustively treated with ether. By this means those vmaterials. areremoved which unnecessarily. trouble the stomach and injuriously influence the keeping power of the extract. Only very small quantitles' (scarcely into a pulverized the extract should pos-' sess an effective, strength, which is known obtained, if the ulco Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 14, 1909, Application filed April 3, 1908. Serial No. 425,013.

mechanically carried along, are lost with the ether precipitate.

Example: 10 kg. of finely powdered digitalis leaves are extracted a few times with fifty kilos of alcohol of high percentage, the extracts neutralized with alcoholic caustic soda solution, for example, and as such, or after concentration in 'vac'wo, mixed with ether, as long as a precipitateforms. The extract separated trom the precipitate is concentrated in 'vacuo and after the addition of two parts of milk sugar, or some other suitable vehicle, completely transformed form. In place of ethylalcohol, other alcohols, or other suitable solvents, may be employed, and instead of ether, petroleum-spirit, or some other suitable precipitant, may be used. The preparation so obtained is a gray-greenpowder, which may be adjusted according to medical requirements to the desired degree of effectiveness by means of furtheriquantities of milk-sugar. I

In the process described by Hager, H andb. d. Pharmaz'. Prawz's, 1903, 1, page 1042, paragraph 2, according to which digitalis leaves are extracted with a mixture of ,aqueous alcohol and ether, those" substances which are injurious in their action and insoluble in the ether do not remain behind in the drug, notwithstanding the use of ether, as experiments have proved. On the contrary, almost twice as great quantities of these substances pass over as in my present process. Moreover, according to the known process these la'r e quantities remain in the final product, 7.. e, the tincture, but are completely removed by my present process.

The improved digitalis preparations obtained as described, will not dissolve completely in cold or hot water, but will dissolve immediately on the addition of a twoer cent. soda, solution with the aid of heat. l rom. the solution thus obtained hydrochloric acid will separate out a substance which is insoluble in chloroform, easily soluble in alcohol and alkalis. If a few grains of this substance in a dried conditionare dissolved in glacial acetic acid containing 1 per cent. of a 5 per cent. ferric-sulfatesolution and alayer of concentrated sulfuric acid is formed under this liquid, the intermediate layer or boundary will assume. a strong reddish violet color, wh le the THE-RHINE, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR r0 THE WIGSHAFEN-ON-THE-RHINE, GERMANY.

5%) of the active materials, which are Q a i a mam glacial acetic acid is colored yellowishbeing completely soluble in cold and hot brown.- water, but dissolving immediately on the a What I claim is addition of a 2 per cent. sodium carbonate 1. The herein described process for the solution with the aid of heat, hydrochloric 5 manufacture of a permanent preparation acid separating from the soluion thus 0b- 20 from digitalis leaves, which consists in pretained a substance which is insoluble in paring an extract of the drug by means of chloroform, easily soluble in alcohol and highly concentrated alcohol and adding to alkalies, substantially as described. Y the said extract ether as long as a precipitate In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 10 is produced by this'addition. 1 my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 5 2. A permanent preparation from digitalis nesses. leaves, containing the therapeutically im- RUDOLF TAM BAGH; portant constituents of the drug, without Witnesses: the inactive and injurious substances con- MAX DULGE, 15 tained in the same, the said preparation not Jos. H. LEUTE. 

